Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “echidna” come from?

echidna (English) comes from Ancient Greek ἔχιδνα, from Ancient Greek ἔχις, from Proto-Indo-European h₁égʰi-.

echidna (English): Any of the species of small spined monotremes in...

Definitions

  1. Any of the species of small spined monotremes in...

Ancestry of “echidna”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Ancient Greekἔχιδναsnake; a treacherous person
2Ancient Greekἔχιςsnake, adder, viper
3Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁égʰi-—

Words derived from “echidna”

  • echidnine
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁égʰi- →